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Moving Light

Years ago I set a goal for myself that everything I own should fit into the trunk of a car. Soon that will finally be true. In June, one month from today, I will be moving back across Canada to Nova Scotia. I plan to go back with a lot less physical possessions than I left with, and that’s a very exciting prospect.

As I mentioned in my entry about book scanning, I will be leaving behind books and my book shelf. That’s not all I’ll be shedding before I move; my desk, dressers, storage shelving and many other things I brought with me to Ontario will be left behind and not replaced.

When we look objectively at the objects we have in our lives, it’s clear that for most of us there is a lot of stuff that doesn’t really add to our lives. Clutter, even when not obvious, gets in the way of living well by limiting what we can do. We need a larger home if we have a greater amount of things, moving expenses rise with the weight and volume of our belongings, and we can’t take advantage of many opportunities when stuff takes up our time. Having done away with any sliver of clutter blindness I once had, I’m feeling very positive about living a more minimalistic life.

In Letting Go of Attachment, from A to Zen, Lori Deschene points out the timeless Buddhist insight that attachment is the cause of suffering. She closes the article with, “Just know you have the power to choose from moment to moment how you experience things you enjoy: with a sense of ownership, anxiety, and fear, or with a sense of freedom, peace and love.” For me, part of living with that “sense of freedom, peace and love” is going to include cutting down my physical possessions to only that which can help me live better.

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Hi Apollo. I love that you are digitizing your books. I can't say I want to personally spend the time on my collection, but might one day, especially if I get a better scanner. But the attachment is what I really want to focus on today. After reading that Zen Habits article a few times, I really want to focus more of my energy on not being attached to people, situations, or experiences. And just enjoy the moment. So cheers to that.

Hi Apollo. I love that you are digitizing your books. I can't say I want to personally spend the time on my collection, but might one day, especially if I get a better scanner. But the attachment is what I really want to focus on today. After reading that Zen Habits article a few times, I really want to focus more of my energy on not being attached to people, situations, or experiences. And just enjoy the moment. So cheers to that.

I'm going to really like having all my books digitized, but right now it's as much daunting as it is satisfying. All my magazines are done, though, which I am thrilled about. Letting go of attachment can be a great help in life. I have a long way to go, but as soon as I realized that preferences and attachments are separate things, something clicked for me.